The intensity of fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces around the eastern city of Bakhmut is continuing to increase, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video address
Flames and smoke rose into the sky from blazing buildings. Constant gunfire and explosions rang out into the sky. Ukrainian armoured vehicles roared through the streets, while stray dogs wandered amid the mud and debris."It is frightening indeed," said a middle-aged man bundled in a coat and woolly hat on the steps of his apartment block.
In an audio message on social media, Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose Wagner private army has led Russia's offensive there, said the Ukrainian military was throwing extra reserves into the battle, "trying to hold the town with all their strength".Ukrainian service members ride BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near the frontline city of Bakhmut, Ukraine February 27, 2023.
Wagner received an apparent show of Kremlin support on Wednesday when Russia's rubber-stamp lower house of parliament, the State Duma, discussed extending"This initiative will protect everyone who today is risking their lives to ensure the security of the country and our citizens," Duma chairman Vyacheslav Volodin wrote on social media. "The punishment for violators will be severe."Ukrainians and Russians traditionally view March 1 as the start of spring.
Host India does not want Ukraine to dominate the event, but faces calls from Western countries for a clear stance.
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